Snow
by Antigone2
Summary: So my friend reblogged a piece of fanart on tumblr and it made me write a fic. Funny how these things happen.


I wrote this for kyralih, but you can read it even if you aren't her.

* * *

Endymion's footsteps echoed quickly down the long, low ceilinged hallway of Zoisite's northernmost outpost. Outside the castle's few windows the sun was setting although it was still just afternoon. The castle was stone, compact and meant to keep the cruel northern winds at bay. Thick red tapestries adored the walls, for literal warmth as well as a small cheer in the darkness of winter. It wasn't working on Endymion, apparently, who barely acknowledged his general's presence when Zoisite joined him in the hall.

"You have a visitor," the blonde man said, forgoing any greetings. Endymion slid tired eyes to his friend, trying to hide a grimace.

"I thought I was done for the day," the prince answered, resiting the urge to press his fingers to the slight ache in his head.

"You are," Zoisite said. "I can send her away if you want. However, I had to bring her inside as she nearly froze to death." He smirked a little.

Endymion blinked in confusion and allowed Zoisite to usher him downstairs into a small cellar-like room with one high window spilling the crimson sunset across a dirt floor.

Serenity was huddled against the wall, bare arms crossed over themselves and a perplexed expression marred by chattering teeth.

"What are you doing here?" Endymion half-admonished, half-chuckled, and quickly wrapped his cape around her shoulders. "And in that?"

Serenity glanced down at her usual thin, floaty dress and pressed her slightly blue lips together.

"I-I-I always w-wear this," she said, lifting violet eyes up to regard Endymion in confusion. "I-It's never this c-cold back home." She had flowers in her hair, the pale, nearly colorless kind that grew on the moon.

Endymion nodded in understanding, even has he rubbed his hands on hers, trying to bring some heat to her numb fingers. It made sense she'd be so confused by the cold. Serenity's kingdom was domed, temperature-controlled, weather-less... sterile.

Suddenly he had an idea.

"Come with me," Endymion said, taking her hand and pulling her up the stairs.

"Prince-" Zoisite interrupted, with warning in his voice. "These lands are dangerous. Especially for her."

"We'll be careful," Endymion answered, his eyes already beginning to lose their exhausted heaviness. He pulled Serenity behind him, up into the slightly warmer main halls. "I can't believe he put you in that cold room," he said. "How long were you there?"

"Just a few minutes," Serenity said, her eyes taking in everything as quickly as she could before she was pulled into another room and the door shut firmly behind her. As Endymion rummaged through a cedar chest, Serenity pulled the flowers from her hair and held them in her hand, looking at them thoughtfully. Flowers year round, but she'd never seen snow.

"Here," Endymion wrapped a warm, fur-lined cloak around her shoulders and she suddenly felt warmth seep into her arms and neck. A soft hood covered her tell-tale hair and fell over her ears. She smiled in delight. He also provided a pair of thick, heavy boots also with fur-lining. Serenity slipped her feet into them and stumbled with the first step she took. Endymion caught her tightly around the waist.

"Let's go, before it gets too dark," he said, and she followed him excitedly, if clumsily, down another flight of stairs and out a rarely-used heavy wooden door.

The snow was everywhere, glowing white in the creeping dusk. Serenity reached down and brushed her fingers along a nearby railing, felt the pricking of the cold as snow turned to water in her palms. Her breath escaped in billowy white puffs and she blew into the air with a squeal of delight.

Serenity's feet were unsteady in the big boots and foot of soft snow on the ground. Endymion laughed at her as she tried to walk and she turned with an exaggerated look of insult on her face.

"You dare to mock a princess?" she asked, archly. Then she rushed him. With one push, the prince found himself sitting in the snow while Serenity giggled, pressing damp, cold fingers to her wicked grin. Endymion raised one eyebrow and didn't move from his spot, even as the cold seeped into his legs. Serenity's smile was just fading into a look of worry when suddenly a ball of wet snow hit her shoulder and knocked the hood from her head.

"What the-" she barely had time to gasp before Endymion sent another snowball at her, which she dodged by ducking and squealing. Endymion's home was temperate, but he had spent enough time in Nephrite's and Zoicite's territories to be familiar with wintery conditions and snow as faux warfare. Serenity didn't stand a chance, even as she fumbled in the snow, throwing fistfuls of it every which way as she tried maintain dexterity in her boots, the snow and her breathless laughter.

She ended up falling into the snow, which was softer and oh! so much colder! than she imagined. Endymion walked over and offered his hand. "Does the Moon surrender?" he asked.

Serenity narrowed her eyes and pulled on his arm as hard as she could - as he tumbled down beside her with a grunt she dusted her hands off and straightened her hood primly. "Never," she answered, eyes subconsciously searching the sky for her orbiting home.

"Endymion," she said his name like a question, and he turned toward her curiously. "Will you kiss me?"

He rubbed his hands together, tried to bring feeling back into his fingertips and answered the way he always did. "No."

"Why not?" she pulled on his cape a little and he still refused to look at her, keeping his gaze on the bruised evening sky.

"You know the answer to that," he said.

Forbidden.

He didn't speak the word but it hung between them colder than the snow, darker than the night and harsher than the winter wind now beginning to whip through the trees with unrelenting chill.

Serenity usually dropped the subject but this time the ice in the air made her feel like her extremities were fading away, and all her being was condensing into the center of her body, curled in with her heart. Her words sounded far away to her frozen ears. "Don't you want to?" she pressed. Her white breath ribboned off into the air.

He looked at her and she met his eyes, sad and blue and as variable as the weather on his tumultuous world. "You know the answer to that, too," he said.

The first stars were winking into the purple sky, Venus bright on the horizon.

"We should get you inside," Endymion said finally, lifting one of her hands and turning it his. She couldn't feel his touch, her fingernails were touched with blue, as were her lips. "You really _will_ freeze to death out here."

Serenity followed him toward the castle, now a dark silhouette in the growing afternoon-night. Her tears were hot as fire on her cold cheeks. The two entered the castle again, the door shut behind them to the growing night.

* * *

Zoisite had set up a warmer hiding place for her now, with a roaring fire and warm blankets on the chairs and floor. Hot drinks were sitting on a small table and Serenity wrapped her cold hands around the hot metal cup and took a sip.

"It's dangerous at night," Endymion was saying. "Snow country can be savage and cruel."

"It's beautiful, though," she said.

He answered with a half smile.

"Don't take it as a compliment," Serenity mock-snapped. "If anything, I should compliment_ Zoisite_, it's his kingdom."

"Except it's mine, too," Endymion said, as he sat next to her in front of the fire. "So I will accept your praise on behalf of Zoisite and my planet. Thank you, we know."

Serenity held her hands out toward the fire. In the heat of the room, it was as if her very bones were melting. Her eyes felt heavy all of a sudden, and she leaned her head on Endymion's shoulder. She saw the flames reflected in his eyes. He seemed tired again. Sad.

"Endymion," she said after a while, putting a pale hand to his cheek. She seemed to falter, rethink her words. "I can feel my hands now," she finished.

"Always a good sign," he said, his lips quirking into a slight smile.

She blinked bright eyes at him and he turned and looked at her for a long time.

"It's already too late you know," Serenity said softly.

He knew. Endymion knew he was already in love with her. He'd already do anything - _anything_ - to keep her safe. He was undeniably and forever hers.

They had already broken all the rules, even just by knowing each other. But to acknowledge it, to officially cross that line - he couldn't. Not because of him - he had already plunged into this headfirst and still falling. But he couldn't bring her down with him, couldn't pull her into a forbidden, doomed love.

He could give her at least that.

There was a knock on the door and they both stood as Zoisite entered the room, a smile hovering around his lips.

"You'll want to see this," he said to Serenity.

* * *

The night sky was on fire with blue and green waves of light. The stars kept silent testimony as the color sprites danced across the horizon, arching up into the sky.

Serenity watched in silence, standing on the roof of the castle and gripping Endymion's hand tightly in her own. It was bitterly, terribly cold, the night wind like ice against her face, but she didn't even feel it.

"It's amazing," she said.

Endymion looked at her and smiled, and in the faint light from the nearby torches she saw the sorrow in his eyes. Serenity was so, so tired of that look in eyes whenever they were together. And she was through waiting.

She braced her arm against his chest, pulled herself up onto her tiptoes and kissed him. And kissed him. Shutting her eyes to the northern lights and the cold and the gravity of what she had done. None of that mattered, her hands linked around his neck and her fingers found warmth in his soft hair. His hands gripped her waist almost desperately as he kissed her back.

And together, in the cold, beneath the colors of the solar wind, they shut their eyes, held their breath, and gave in.


End file.
